Pad for a cone

ABSTRACT

A pad for a yarn cone to catch unravelled yarn in excess of that required by the knitting machine. An open cylindrical frame is closed at one end, the end having a central aperture. An elastic mesh netting is placed over the frame, being retained by sleeve means in the aperture. The pad is positioned beneath the cone on the support rod. The stretched net inside the frame forms a soft, resilient, yet firm surface to catch yarn unravelling due to inertial forces from sudden stops or slowdowns on the yarn fed into the knitting machine.

[ 1 May 9,1972

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [54] PAD FOR A CONE [72] Inventor:

Great Britain l 30 Jalrler Barski, 9 Weller Terrace, Saddlebrook, NJ. 07662 June 8, 1970 Primary Examiner-Leonard D. Christian Attorney-Meyer A. Gross [22] Filed:

[21] A l.No.: 44118 W ABSTRACT A pad for a yarn cone to catch unravelled yarn in excess of that required by the knitting machine. An open cylindrical frame is closed at one end, the end having a central aperture. An elastic mesh netting is placed over the frame, being retained by sleeve means in the aperture. The pad is posi- 1 '6 4%M4 1 rl l9 1 4 11 m0 m .3 r H 8 u 3 M 1 H 7 U3 m m an 42 L m lo d sand n. U-IF Z I 2 8 555 [.III.

tioned beneath the cone on the support rod. The stretched net References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS inside the frame forms a soft, resilient, yet firm surface to catch yarn unravelling due to inertial forces from sudden stops or slowdowns on the yarn fed into the knitting machine.

1,984,571 Epps......................................242/l30 1,860,938 McKean .............................242/l29.8 9Claims,4 Drawing Figures PAD FOR A CONE The present invention relates to devices for improving the efficiencies of knitting machines and in particular,'a pad for resiliently and firmly supporting unravelled yarn falling off the yarn cone. While this invention has particular application with knitting machines, its usage may be properly employed wherever inertial forces cause the unravelling of materials from a stationary support.

Prior to the present invention, yarn cones have been positioned upon support rods to supply yarn to knitting machines in the well known fashion. The knitting machines operate at high speeds, and many times the forces removing the yarn from the cones will be stopped very abruptly or slowed down very abruptly depending upon the change in the weave and the pattern. The inertial forces remaining within the yarn tend to unravel excess yarn which, since it is not introduced-into the machines, falls down on the support rod. If the yarn should become entangled underneath the cone, when the knitting machine once again requires yarn from the particular cone in question, the yarn could break, causing a shut down in the machine. This problem has existed for many years and to date no successful, commercially acceptable solution has been developed to resolve this problem.

' Among the unsatisfactory attempts to resolve this problem have been damping devices, etc., which attempt to remove the inertial forces from the yarn, but a certain amount of un ravelling still occurs.

Accordingly, it is among the principal objects of the present invention to provide a new and improved device for eliminating the entangling of unravelled yarn underneath the yarn cone having no moving or otherwise complicated parts.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described which will provide a soft, resilient, yet firm bed for the excess unravelled yarn, allowing it to be picked off when the machine once again requires yarn from the particular cone, without any entanglement.

Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved pad for a yarn cone which essentially eliminates all down time due to yarn breakage caused by entanglement of excess unravelled yarn.

Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a pad for a yarn cone which will be simple and economical to manufacture and yet be durable to a high degree in use.

' In accordance with the principals of the present invention, there is provided a pad for a yarn cone which includes a cylindrically shaped frame having a closed end. The end has a cen-' tral aperture defined therein. Some standard tubular elastic, mesh netting is positioned over the frame, with the ends being adhesively secured to the outer side of the end wall, one end on top of another. Sleeve means are positioned within the aperture and include a sleeve having a centrally positioned bore to receive the support rod of the knitting machine with means to firmly secure the pad to the rod, and a lower face to further assist in adhering the netting to the frame. A wide faced bolt is positioned over the inner surface of the end wall to add some more resiliency to the netting. The netting forms an essentially conical surface passing from the edge of the cylindrical wall of the frame down to the centrally positioned aperture. This surface is in essence a soft, resilient, yet firm bed. The pad is positioned just under the yarn cone, and as excess yarn is unravelled from the cone due to various force changes on the yarn, the excess material may unraveland fall on the conical surface. The friction in the material in the mesh netting is sufficient to retain the yarn and prevent it from falling down underneath the lower, outer dimensions of the yarn cone, thus eliminating the problem of entanglement and breakage. 1

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a pad for a yarn cone embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a part cross-sectional part side elevational view taken along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 2, there is shown a pad 10 for a yarn cone holder broadly comprising a frame 12, netting 14 and securement means 16.

More particularly, the frame may be cylindrical in shape with a closed end, resembling a pot, and has a cylindrical side wall 16 defined by an inner surface 18, and an outer surface 20, and an edge 22. The edge 22 has rounded edges and merges smoothly with the surfaces 18 and 20. Depending from the wall 16 is an end wall 24 having an aperture 26 defined by an edge'28 centrally positioned therein. The wall 24 is further defined by an inner surface 30 and an outer surface 32. The walls 16 and 24 merge at a rounded intermediate section 34. The frame may be manufactured from any strong, yet pliable resilient materials, such as typical plastics or metals, for example, lucite, or sheet metal, as is well known in the art. The frame thus resemblesa pot and forms a receptacle having an interior hollow.

The netting 14 may be tubular in its original configurations, and can be manufactured either from elastic yams, or nonelastic yarns which are elastic in their mesh stretching characteristics. Preferably cotton yarn, which is non-stretchable, but which acquires stretch characteristics due to the mesh weave, is used. The yarn has two ends 34, 36 which are secured on the outer surface 34 proximate the edge 28 of the aperture 26, and may be maintained in position by such means as adhesive strips 38 which may be in the shape of an annular ring for purposes of convenience.

Positioned within the aperture 26 is the sleeve means 16. More particularly, the sleeve means includes a sleeve 40 having a central bore 42 receiving the support rod of the knitting machine. In addition, there is a threaded bore 44 passing inwardly and toward and perpendicular to the bore 42 to receive a securement screw (not shown). Extending outwardly from the sleeve is an annular shoulder 46 having an inner surface 48 abutting the strip 36, the ends of the netting 34, 36 and the outer surface 32 of the wall 24.

Extending inwardly of the frame is a cylindrical extension 50 having a threaded outer surface. The thread is adapted to engage a wide faced nut 52 havingan inner surface 54 and openings 56 to receive a standard two finger wrench.

In operation, the unit 10 is placed upon a support rod and retained in place by means of the securement screw positioned in the bore 44. The pad is placed directly below the yarn cone which is then placed in position upon the support rod. The end of the yarn is set into the knitting machine in the well known fashion, and the weaving process commences. As is standard in such operations, the yarn from the particular cone may not be continuously utilized. Due to the high speeds of the present day knitting machines, the demand for the yarn may stop very quickly or may be slowed down very quickly. Since there are still inertial forces present in the yarn pulling if off from the cone, the excess unravelled yarn will fall down into the bed 58. Since the netting has a certain amount of friction, due, for example, to the presence of the cottom threads, the yarn is maintained in position upon the bed and does not fall inwardly towards the net 52 where it might fall underneath the outer diameter of the yarn cone, and become entangled or break the yarn when the demand for the yarn from the particular cone once again occurs. With the yarn resting upon the bed 58, when the demand once again occurs, the yarn will be rapidly picked off the bed and once again continue to be supplied directly from the yarn upon the cone.

It is also possible to place an annular ridge 60 on the outer surface 32 of the end wall 24. This also serves to increase the tension within the netting in the bed 58.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described herein, it is obvious that numerous omissions, changes, and additions may be made in such embodiment without imparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A pad for a yarn cone mounted on a support rod which comprises:

a. a frame secured to the rod and positioned below the cone, the frame being cylindrical in configuration and enclosed at one end; 1 a circular edge centrally positioned on the end wall defining an aperture therein;

b. stretchable netting means positioned over the frame and secured thereto, the netting means being tubular in configuration, and one end of the netting means being secured to the end wall proximate the circular edge;

c. sleeve means positioned within the aperture receiving the support rod, and having means to detachably, firmly secure the pad to the rod, and having means to further assist in securing the netting in position, whereby the netting forms a bed to receive excess unravelled yarn falling off the yarn cone.

2. A pad for a yarn cone to catch yarn unravelling due to inertial forces from sudden stops or slowdowns of the yarn as it is fed into a knitting machine, the pad mounted on a support rod, which comprises:

a. a frame having an end wall, a circular edge positioned in the end wall and defining an aperture therein, the frame positioned below the cone and the rod passing through the aperture;

b. stretchable netting means having two openings; and

c. sleeve means positioned within the aperture and having means to assist in securing the netting in position, the ends being in abutment with the sleeve means and between the sleeve means and the opposite sides of the end wall, so that the netting means is positioned over the frame and secured thereto.

3. The invention according to claim 2, the netting means being formed of non-stretchable threads woven in a stretchable mesh.

4. The invention according to claim 2, the frame being cylindrical in configuration enclosed at one end.

5. The invention according to claim 4, a circular edge centrally positioned on the end wall, defining an aperture therein, the netting means being tubular in configuration, one end of the netting means being secured to the end wall proximate the circular edge.

6. The invention according to claim 5, sleeve means to position within the aperture receiving the support rod, and having means to detachably, firmly secure the pad to the rod, and having means to further assist in securing the netting in position.

7. The invention according to claim 2, the sleeve means including a sleeve member having a central bore positioned within the aperture, securement means for detachably securing the sleeve member to the support rod.

8. The invention according to claim 7, an annular shoulder extending outwardly from the sleeve member and engaging the lower end of the netting means, abutting the end and securing the same between the shoulder and the lower surface of the end wall.

9. The invention according to claim 8, a cylindrical extension extending upwardly from the sleeve member and passing above the aperture, the extension member having a threaded outer surface, a wide faced nut being threaded to engage the threaded outer surface of the cylindrical extension member, the upper end of the netting means being secured between the nut and the upper surface of the end wall. 

1. A pad for a yarn cone mounted on a support rod which comprises: a. a frame secured to the rod and positioned below the cone, the frame being cylindrical in configuration and enclosed at one end; a circular edge centrally positioned on the end wall defining an aperture therein; b. stretchable netting means positioned over the frame and secured thereto, the netting means being tubular in configuration, and one end of the netting means being secured to the end wall proximate the circular edge; c. sleeve means positioned within the aperture receiving the support rod, and having means to detachably, firmly secure the pad to the rod, and having means to further assist in securing the netting in position, whereby the netting forms a bed to receive excess unravelled yarn falling off the yarn cone.
 2. A pad for a yarn cone to catch yarn unravelling due to inertial forces from sudden stops or slowdowns of the yarn as it is fed into a knitting machine, the pad mounted on a support rod, which comprises: a. a frame having an end wall, a circular edge positioned in the end wall and defining an aperture therein, the frame positioned below the cone and the rod passing through the aperture; b. stretchable netting means having two openings; and c. sleeve means positioned within the aperture and having means to assist in securing the netting in position, the ends being in abutment with the sleeve means and between the sleeve means and the opposite sides of the end wall, so that the netting means is positioned over the frame and secured thereto.
 3. The invention according to claim 2, the netting means being formed of non-stretchable threads woven in a stretchable mesh.
 4. The invention according to claim 2, the frame being cylindrical in configuration enclosed at one end.
 5. The invention according to claim 4, a circular edge centrally positioned on the end wall, defining an aperture therein, the netting means being tubular in configuration, one end of the netting means being secured to the end wall proximate the circular edge.
 6. The invention according to claim 5, sleeve means to position within the aperture receiving the support rod, and having means to detachably, firmly secure the pad to the rod, and having means to further assist in securing the netting in position.
 7. The invention according to claim 2, the sleeve means including a sleeve member having a central bore positioned within the aperture, securement means for detachably securing the sleeve member to the support rod.
 8. The invention according to claim 7, an annular shoulder extending outwardly from the sleeve member and engaging The lower end of the netting means, abutting the end and securing the same between the shoulder and the lower surface of the end wall.
 9. The invention according to claim 8, a cylindrical extension extending upwardly from the sleeve member and passing above the aperture, the extension member having a threaded outer surface, a wide faced nut being threaded to engage the threaded outer surface of the cylindrical extension member, the upper end of the netting means being secured between the nut and the upper surface of the end wall. 